Oil pump screen



March-.28, 1933. c. LE R. MQCUEN OIL PUMP SCREEN Filed Nov. 20, 1930 Patented Mar. 28, 1933 UNITED STATES PATENT oFricE CHARLEs LE RoYiucCUEN, F LANSING, MICHIGAN, ASSIGNOR To GENERAL MOTORS CORPORATION, OF DETROIT, MICHIGAN, A. CORPORATION OF DELAWARE OIL PUMP scREEN Application filed November 20, 1930. Serial No. 496.928..

This invention relates to lubricating systems and has particular reference to the screen which protects the inlet of the 011 pumps of internal combustion engines used on automotive vehicles.

In the lubricating systems of engines used on automotive vehicles,'it' is conventional practice to place a screen between the pump inlet and the oil pan, the purpose of which 0 is to prevent any large particles from getting into the pump and damaging the pump mechanism. It has been found that in the wlnter time the water which collects in the oil pan comes to the surface or becomes enmeshed in the screen and freezes to form a sheet of ice which will clog the. screen and prevent'the passage of oil. It is the object of the present invention to provide a means whereby the pump will be able to suck oil from the oil pan over the screen and the sheet of ice so that the engine hearings will not be starved of oil, until the lubricant is warmed and melts the ice to permit the pump and screen to function in the usual Way The object of the invention is accomplished by using a screen of bowl shape which has a portion thereof placed at an incline so that the upper part will be well above the level of the oil or free from any possible interference by an ice sheet. The screen has a cover thereover the sides of which extend well down into the oil pan and closely adjacent the lowermost portion of the screen. The cover has a channel or passage pressed from or formed in one side thereof which forms a conduit or passage from the oil pan up over the edge of the bowl-shaped screen and to the pump inlet. If, during cold "weather, the water in the oil should freeze on the screen and form an impervious sheet,

the suction of the pump will pull the oil from the oil pan through the channel inthe cover and through the interior of the screen bowl from where it will be passed to the engine bearings. As soon as the oil warms up the ice sheet will be melted and the pump will function in the usual way.

On the drawing:

mits the pump to by-pass .41 at the top of thecage 40 Figure 1 shows a view of a portion of an internal combustion engine with parts shown in section to illustrate theinventionL Figure 2 1s a perspectiveviewof a portion of the screen of the invention. I

Figure 3 is a sectional view corresponding plug 12. A conventional. oil pump 14 is se; cured to the crankcaseand positioned inside the oil pan and is driven by a shaft 16 which 'takes'its power from the camshaftor crank shaft in any desired way. The pump has the usual inlet 18 and the outlet 20. (Jonnected to the outlet 20 is the oil manifold 22 which supplies oil to the engine hearings in the usual way. A spring-pressed one-way ball-relief-valve is shown excessive pressures in the manifold 22. lower portion of the at 24 which per- 3 thenoil to prevent y The pump is closed by the cover 26 to which there is attached by means of the bolt 28 the bowl-shaped screen 30 of theinvention and'the cover 32. The cover 32 is open at its bottom and closed at its top and sides except for the small vent opening shown at 34. 1 A strainer is shown at36and strains the oil before it entersthe pump inlet 18 member 3 8 imounted on a ca and of the reticulated member 38, rigidly together. The bott'om portion ofcag'e 40 is open and has secured therein thespider 42, the arms 44 of which are suitably secured as by welding to cage 40.

At substantially its mid portion the re ticulated member 38 and the mid portion of the fingers 46 formed on the The screen 30 is generally of bowl shape as j shown in the perspectiveview inFigure 2. Thescreen comprises the reticulating wire ge 40. A ring sail secures thetwo the spiderlare. inwardly bentas shown at 48 i and asocket or bearing 50 secured thereto. The bolt 28 passes through the stud or socket 50 and is screwthreaded into the cover. 26. V

The cover 34 snugly fits over the top of the ring 41 and is ordinarily substantially incapable of passing any oil. At one portion of its periphery, the cover is formed with a pressed-out portion 52 which forms a channel 54 from the oil pan 6 up over the top of the screen as shown at 56, and into the interior of the bowl-shaped screen 38.

In case the screen 30 becomes clogged or plugged for some reason or other, such as having the water in the oil frozen therein, the suction of the pump will be insuflicient to pull the oil therethrough to break the ice. During the winter months, it is therefore necessary to provide some means to allow the pump to take oil from the oil pan so that the bearings will not be starved. The channel 54 will allow pan up therethrough and spill it into the interior of the cage so that it may pass through the strainer 36 and into the inlet 18. The

vent 34 is small and not of such size as will revent the pump from drawing the oil from the pan when the screen 30 is clogged. Some air will of course be pulled in through the vent but the quantity will be relatively small in proportion to the oil drawn through the passage 54. The purpose of the vent is to allow the escape of air from the interior of the cover 32. If no vent were provided the air would continue to accumulate until it forced all of the oil from under the cover and prevent the pump from its normal operation." V

Figure 3 shows a modification of the structure of Figure 1. In Figure 3 the screen is indicated by the numeral 60 while 62 designates the cover. The cover has a portion pressed therefrom as shown at 64, which serves as a means to attach it to the inlet stud 66 of the pump. A supporting member 68 is secured to'the cover 62 and is attached as at 70 to the outlet connection of the pump. The upper and lower portions 72 and 74 of the cover form an impervious enclosure for i the screen except for the inlet opening 76 and the outlet 78 and'a' small vent opening at 80. The pump normally draws the oil in at 7 6 through the screen 74 and to -the inlet 78." However, if for any reason the water in the oil should freeze and clog: up the screen '60 or should the screen become plugged for any other reason, the pump will pull the oil up the channel formed between the lower portion 74 of the cover and the screen up over the top of the sheet of ice and through the screen (or through the opening at 82 in case the entire screen should be c clogged) and cause the oil to flow between the upper portion 72 of the cover and the screen 60 to the inlet 78. The screen 60 and cover 62 are positioned in inclined relation the pump to draw oil from the 1. In combination with an oil receptacle and an oil pump located therein, a screen between the pump inlet and the oil receptacle, said screen having a portion thereof extending above the oil level in the receptacle, and means for causing the oil to flow over said portion to the inlet when the screen becomes impervious to oil.

2. In combination with an oil receptacle and an oil pump located therein, a screen between the pump inlet and the oil receptacle, said screen having a portion thereof extending above the level of the oil in the receptacle, and theicover over the screen, said pump causing the oil to flow over the top of the screen and between the screen and cover 7 to the inlet when the screen becomes impervious to the oil. 1

3. In combination with an oil receptacle and an oil pump located therein, a screen between the pump inlet and oil receptacle,. and a cover over the screen, said cover provided with a vent and said pump causing the oil to flow over the screen and between the screen and cover to the inlet when the screen becomes impervious to oil. 7

4. In combination with an oil receptacle and an oil pump located therein,a bowlshaped screen between the pump inlet and the oil receptacle, a cover over the screen, the side of the cover extending down to substantially the lowermost portion of the screen to close the top and sides thereof, a. channel I in said cover, said pump drawing the oil from the receptacle through the channel and I over the top of the screen to the inlet when the screen is clogged. V

In testimony whereof I affiX my signature.

as shown in Figure 3 so thatthe top of the 7 screen isalways above the maximum oil level in the oil vpan 6. 1 z y 

